A bout President Bashar Al-Assad:

“The Russian Leadership views President Bashar Al-Assad as the legitimate president who is committed to preserving security and order in his country. President Al-Assad is looking after his citizens and assuming responsibility for ensuring general order in Syria.” Dmitry Peskov, Press Secretary of the Russian President-elect Vladimir Putin.

”His Excellency President Al-Assad believes in reform. He is serious, determined and ready to go on with greater reform measures, but with responsibility and calculated steps.” ~ Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah

”His Excellency President Bashar Al-Assad has accorded the most of care, human initiatives, generosity, sublime politeness and amity to artists. His Excellency has put medicine and doctors at my disposal so as to treat me, engulfing me with his goodness, generosity and utmost care. Had President Al-Assad asked for my eyes, I would happily have given them to His Excellency as a gift in recognition of his great humanity.”  Singer Wadi Al-Safi, Lebanese singer.

”His Excellency President Bashar Al-Assad’s steadfast and principled stances are a source of pride and glory, which has been giving us the power, resistance and steadfastness in the face of Israeli oppressive measures.” ~ Sheikh Taher Abu Saleh, Chairman of the Golan Heights Delegation visiting Syria, the Motherland.

”The American People and I appreciate the wise congratulatory letter sent by Your Excellency on the 233rd anniversary of US Independence.” ~ H. E. President Barack Obama of the USA.

“President Bashar al-Assad is well aware that regional peace is essential if he is to achieve his ambition of building a modern state. He has called repeatedly for negotiations with Israel. Not surprisingly, he is anxious to recover the Golan Heights, seized by Israel in 1967. But Syria has no time for a peace which will give Israel further strategic advantage or allow it to continue to oppress the Palestinians.” ~ Patrick Seale.

“President Bashar Al-Assad accords every attention and care for Arab Causes. President Al-Assad has a very deep sense and is aware of all the developments taking place in the region. I have benefited from listening to the analyses for Arab condition by His Excellency.” ~ Yousef Bin Alawi Abdullah, Omani Foreign Affairs Minister.

“President Assad is a quiet, intellectually precise man, who looks much more like the ophthalmologist. He is clearly trying to introduce a new approach to the exercise of power in a traditionally fierce autocracy, persuading people that they should not see their president as super-human and all-powerful. For all his quiet calmness, you can still see occasional signs of his father’s steeliness.” ~ John Simpson, the BBC renowned journalist.

“The principled stances of President Bashar Al-Assad and his national support for the Arab cause in general, and for the Palestinian Cause in particular, is the source of pride and honor for every genuine Arab.” ~ The spokesperson of the Orthodox Church in Jerusalem archimandrite Atta Allah Hana.

President Bashar Al-Assad has proved to the entire world that we never leave aside our spiritual history, and that we are proud of our Christian as well as Islamic Heritage together.” ~ His Beatitude Patriarch Ignatius IV (Hazim) of Antioch and the entire East.

Complied by: Raghda Sawas, Haifaa Mafalani